Adding Silicone for Support?

[jjohnwm]

Yeah its not terribly difficult, just use a blade razor and work one side at a time. You shouldn't need to separate the glass unless its visibly bad below the mess you got there.
Take your time with it, its not unlike caulking a shower stall.

No, not terribly difficult...but let's be honest, it is a tedious, pains-taking, time-consuming task that is not particularly enjoyable. Especially if it is the OP's first time doing it; he must be super careful not to damage that structural seal between glass panels. There's an art to it that must be learned. He needs to cut down through the old seal holding the blade flat against the pane of glass that is butted up against the other side; if he runs the blade along the wrong panel he risks cutting into the structural seal between panes. After the initial cut, he needs to hold the blade at a high enough angle that the first pane prevents it from slipping into that crevice while scraping the silicone off the second pane. And he's got to get it all off...every last trace.

Applying the silicone at the end is the easy part, and is indeed similar to caulking a shower stall or bathtub. But the preparatory removal of the old stuff is the hard part, and it's not a job to jump into without knowing that you are committed.

OP, I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it; just think it through carefully before starting.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Agree with John. If you aren't cursing under your breath in frustration at some point during the process, you're probably not doing a thorough enough job lol.

I will repeat what is already said about removing ALL of the old silicone...every smudge and sliver! Any weak spot in the seam has the potential to compromise the whole seal. Use a cloth dabbed with acetone or high proof alcohol to scrub any remaining residue off before laying in the new bead of silicone.

While not necessary, i like to use painters tape to make the seams as neat and straight as possible. This isn't just aesthetician, but is helpful when making routine inspections of your tank in catching a problematic seal before a leak should ever occur.

 

[esoxlucius]

I'm getting ready to buy a used 100 gallon

I do not want to get involved with any re-sealing projects whatsoever.

Your top quote suggests to me that you haven't actually bought this tank yet which may be a blessing in disguise. And your bottom quote suggests to me you should maybe stay clear of it, whether you are putting in a basement or not, because imo that tank needs some work doing on it. A reseal is either full on, or don't bother. There is no half way house botch job on a reseal.

And yes, you will curse or have sore fingers or wish you'd never have bothered, but more than likely you'll experience all three!! Lol.

My advice, given that you haven't bought it yet, and do not want to reseal it, is to look elsewhere for a much sounder looking tank that you can be confident with.

 

[jjohnwm]

I hadn't noticed that this was only a potential purchase at this point. I agree wholeheartedly with Esox; this requires some careful consideration.

I'd buy this tank if it were a really good price...knowing that a reseal would be a PITA. And, honestly, I am not convinced that a reseal is particularly necessary, if the structural seals are all as good as that little bit shown in your pic. But, there's no getting around the fact that it looks like a dog's breakfast with that chewed up old silicone. Filling it up and letting it sit for a week or so as a leak test would definitely be in order before you make your decision.

Just keep in mind that many people who do their first application of silicone to an entire tank end up with a perfectly good, watertight seal...but one that looks worse than what they started with.

Last but not least, I don't think that any of us has mentioned this so far, but once you have the old silicone cleaned up and are ready to apply the new...bear in mind that this is a time-sensitive operation. Once you start laying down a bead...there is no turning back. You must complete the entire job in one go. If the new stuff is allowed to cure, you cannot continue applying more tomorrow or next week; you won't have a seal at the point where the old and the new meet.

 

[spitz006]

Thanks all -- i ended up buying it, as it was quite an amazingly good price. Upon inspection, the seal looks fine. I'm gonna get the algae scrubbed up with a brush in my driveway over the weekend and then see how it looks from there.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Nice. We expect updates! If we don't hear from you we will assume you flooded your basement lol.

 

[spitz006]

This random brick area in my basement is where I intend to put the tank. Is that a bad idea because of the inherent unevenness of brick or with enough shims could it work?

 

[spitz006]

It’s set up and shimmed perfectly level. It came with a sump, with no pump and missing some plumbing. And two holes drilled in the bottom. I could just cap them and use it as a regular tank since I’m just running freshwater, but it might be a fun little plumbing project.

 

[spitz006]

There are two holes in the bottom. I still haven’t decided if I’m just going to cap them or actually hook up the sump, but either way, I need to buy and install bulkheads. One of the holes seems to be an inch and a half, the other one is an inch and a quarter. What exactly do I go buy and how do I install?